Arthur P. Mattuck *54

Arthur died Oct. 8, 2021, in Brookline, Mass., at 91.

Arthur earned a bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore in 1951 and a Ph.D. in math from Princeton in 1954. He started teaching at MIT following an NSF postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard. A member of the MIT faculty from 1958 to 2010, Arthur continued to teach through fall 2019. His field was algebraic geometry. 

Arthur held the Class of 1922 Professorship Chair, which funds innovation in teaching. His booklet, “The Torch or the Firehose: A Guide to Section Teaching,” became a standard reference at MIT and other universities. He received MIT’s School of Science Prize for Excellence in Teaching. 

Arthur’s textbook, Introduction to Analysis, provides a gentle introduction to proofs for students of calculus advancing to real analysis. He served on the Council of the American Mathematical Society and was an AMS fellow in its inaugural class of fellows. 

An avid gardener at the Fenway Victory Gardens for 55 years, Arthur devised ways to outsmart the rabbits that loved to devour his produce. He played cello or piano in the math department music recital and taught himself Italian and Danish.

Arthur is survived by his daughter, Rosemary, and three nephews.

Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.